Bushophobia
by Tony Snow
townhall.com
Nov 4, 2005
WASHINGTON -- Harry Reid and Co., in accusing Team Bush of manipulating intelligence, have managed to pioneer an even more egregious abuse of the American political system: the manipulation of ignorance.
Righteous ignorance has become a hallmark of the Howard Dean Democrats: Lacking any sensible doctrine with which to combat the continued growth of American conservatism, they have been reduced to a state of unshakable hysteria, beginning with the conviction that George W. Bush is the most vicious, evil, conniving president in American history.
Bushophobia bobbed to the surface most recently when Harry Reid, abetted by Sen. Dick Durbin, tried to link the recent indictment of Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis ("Scooter") Libby, to alleged prewar underhandedness by the president, vice president and defense secretary.
Said Reid,
<<<
"The Libby indictment provides a window into what this is all about, how this administration manufactured and manipulated intelligence in order to sell the war in Iraq and attempted to destroyed those who dared challenge its actions."
>>>
Unfortunately for the Democratic leader, Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald slapped down the Libby-war link:
"This indictment is not about the war … not about the
propriety of the war … This indictment will not seek to
prove that the war was justified or unjustified … this is
focused on a narrow transaction."
The manipulation of ignorance continued with Reid's claim of "manufacturing" intelligence -- a phrase often used, but never linked to a specific piece of intelligence or prewar administration statement.
In fact, Democrats were every bit as bellicose as the president before the war. Democratic Sens. Jay Rockefeller, Carl Levin, Joseph Biden, Joseph Lieberman, and John Edwards (among others) all asserted that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction and posed a real threat to American citizens and national interests.
Sen. Rockefeller captured the prevailing sense of urgency when he told his colleagues on Oct. 10, 2002,
"I do believe that Iraq poses an imminent threat, but I
also believe that after September 11, that question is
increasingly outdated. It is in the nature of these
weapons, and the way they are targeted against civilian
populations, that documented capability and demonstrated
intent may be the only warning we get. To insist on
further evidence could put some of our fellow Americans
at risk. Can we afford to take that chance? We cannot!"
He added, "The president has rightly called Saddam
Hussein's efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction
a grave and gathering threat to Americans."
Next comes L'Affaire Plame -- the assertion that the administration ferociously "outed" a "covert agent," Valerie Plame.
Joe Wilson himself made his wife a public figure by yowling about her supposedly rough treatment at the hands of the meanies working for the president. But there was no roughing up.
When exposed, she was not "covert" and hadn't been for years. A number of reporters, including Michael Isikoff of Newsweek and Andrea Mitchell of NBC, described her CIA work as an "open secret" in Washington.
In addition, a CIA investigation concluded the Plame revelation didn't place her at risk and didn't compromise any ongoing intelligence operations. As Bob Woodward noted, "there was no physical danger to anyone and there was just some embarrassment."
So why would Democrats create a stir by clearing out the Senate chambers and demanding secret hearings? For the same reason condemned men scowl at executioners: They want to look defiant when facing their doom.
Strategists from the left wing of the party (James Carville, Stan Greenberg and Bob Shrum) and the right-wing (Will Gallston and the Progressive Policy Institute) have concluded that the "We Hate Dubya" faction is destroying the party and that ideas, not insults, drive political movements.
But consider what's taking place. World events seem to be vindicating George W. Bush's vision and tactics. Iraq soon will install an elected, constitutional government. Syria has begun handing over bad guys. Arab nations are taking baby steps toward democracy. Iran has embarked on a campaign of scaredy-cat bellicosity. And Osama bin Laden's henchmen have been reduced to cadging cash from one another.
Does that not provide a stunning contrast to the attempts by Harry Reid et al to discredit the war at the very moment our troops seem to have made real strides toward finishing the job?
Tony Snow is the host of the 'Tony Snow Show' on Fox News Radio.
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